Various peripheral devices, generally referred herein to as “accessories,” may be attached and detached from mobile phones, also referred to herein as “handsets”, and other wireless communication devices. These accessories, when attached, provide additional functionality and/or otherwise enhance the performance of the mobile phones. In other cases, accessories facilitate the user's ability to productively or comfortably use the mobile phones. A phone battery, though normally thought of as integral with a phone, is also considered an “accessory” for purposes of the present disclosure.
During the design and development of wireless communication devices, it is common to test the compatibility and/or reliability of accessories anticipated for use with the wireless communication device. Such testing ensures that an accessory will operate with a reasonable level of compatibility with the wireless communication device. Unfortunately, accessories made available by third parties for use with wireless communication devices are often not tested or, even if tested, fall below the standards defined by manufacturers of wireless communication devices and/or other standards, e.g., defined by government bodies. Such accessories (referred to herein as “unauthorized accessories”) have the capability of damaging the wireless communication device and/or pose a safety threat to a consumer.
Existing techniques for preventing unauthorized accessories to be employed with wireless communication devices have been relatively easy to circumvent. For example, connectors employing unique mechanical keying arrangements can be overcome with mechanical modifications to the connectors. Electrical arrangements employing resistors for authentication are likewise easily circumvented with appropriate circuitry. Finally, digital communication techniques employing fixed passwords or rolling codes are relatively easy to defeat or mimic.
Accordingly, there remains a strong need in the art for an effective and secure authentication method and apparatus for wireless communication devices.